February 27, 2013

If you are planning to purchase a new laptop, phone or camera this year, you might be considering an extended warranty. With such expensive purchases as these, it’s wise to protect your investments.

But what about your company’s data? Is it not irreplaceable? Data backup and security should be part of every company’s IT strategies. If you don’t have dependable data security and 24-hour backup, your data is at risk for being lost, stolen, misused or otherwise meddled with.

Cloud computing has many selling points, including flexibility, support and cost efficiency. But using the cloud for your business’ backup and security is a big one. Unfortunately, many businesses struggle with finding an easy and cost-effective way to keep their data protected. An estimated 75 percent of business’ critical data is not protected or is improperly backed-up — that’s a huge number!

Fortunately, cloud computing offers a viable solution. Here are four reasons why you should consider using the cloud when it comes to keeping your data secure:

No More Server Issues

Every time your company’s server goes down, there’s potential for lost data. Managed hosting on the cloud keeps your websites online and your servers from crashing.

When looking for a server provider, choose one that is located in a relatively natural disaster-free region (that includes being free from floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, snowstorms and tornados) like Phoenix, Arizona. And be sure to find a hosting provider that offers a server in a multi-layered secure environment, with 24/7 support and monitoring.

Secure Storage

Sure, you could store your critical data on your computer’s hard drive or on an external drive. But, unfortunately, these are not reliable and sooner or later they will fail. There’s a reason why PC experts say, “There are two types of hard drives — ones that have failed and ones that will fail.”

Storing your data in the cloud gives you the peace of mind in knowing that your critical data is safe and secure from things like failed hard drives and even natural disasters. Some providers offer unlimited storage while others provide a variety of storage packages to meet your business’ needs.

Secure E-mail

Cloud-based e-mail services take the prize when it comes to secure e-mail. There’s plenty of opportunity to lose data when a company is using e-mail software — it just happens. And e-mail is a great way to contract viruses, which can wipe out all your critical information in seconds.

Cloud-based e-mail means you don’t have to rely on your computer or your software. Choose an e-mail hosting service that offers the highest level of security including managed firewall protection and mailbox and application-level backup.

Business Continuity

Let’s face it, disasters happen. Whether it’s a natural disaster like a flood or a man-made disaster like theft, computers in an office building just can’t be entirely relied upon. Unfortunately, many businesses don’t take this seriously. Gaps in coverage tend to be most common in small- to medium-sized businesses. Many fail to back up their data and don’t have a disaster recovery plan. Once critical data is lost, it’s too late – and this loss has the potential to severely cripple an organization.

By storing critical information online, users don’t have to worry about their data becoming physically damaged. Their data is protected all the time. That means they don’t have to worry about continuity during a crisis. Companies can remain in business during disasters because their information is always available on the cloud … no matter what happens.

Cloud computing — insurance for your data

Human beings are always preparing for the worst. That’s why things like insurance, wills, emergency plans and disaster drills exist. That’s why, when we make big purchases for ourselves or others, we protect our investments with a warranty plan.

So why are businesses failing to protect their greatest investment? All businesses need to be prepared for the worst, especially when critical data is involved. Fortunately, cloud computing offers an easy, cost-effective way to keep data in safe hands.